Officials at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant said they have located and stopped two tritium leaks.

The plant had been looking for the source of tritium, a radioactive isotope, since early January, when it was found in test wells. Officials with Entergy, the operator of the plant, said they are now in the process of cleaning up contaminated soil on the plant's grounds.

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"These issues are totally unacceptable to us," said Mark Savoff, Entergy executive vice president. "We're embarrassed and disappointed by our performance, and we regret the issues this has caused."

Company officials said two underground pipes, one carrying gas and another carrying liquid, cracked. A drainage line designed to handle that situation was clogged, and the liquid seeped out through an unsealed joint in the concrete and into the soil and groundwater.

Officials said there is no risk to public health or safety.

"I want to assure you that at no time have any detectable levels of tritium been found in any drinking water samples or in the Connecticut River," Savoff said.

Authorities say the amount of tritium found on site was about half of what is considered a reportable level, but Entergy officials said they voluntarily notified all the appropriate agencies and government officials.

They are now in the process of pumping and treating about 300,000 gallons of groundwater and 150 cubic feet of soil.

State Sen. Molly Kelly, D-District 10, who represents the areas in New Hampshire that border the river near the plant, said she's glad the problem is being addressed, but more needs to be done.

"Maybe the good thing or the opportunity we have is to come together and communicate and have different ways of looking at this issue on an ongoing basis," she said.

An additional 20 monitoring wells have been dug on the Vermont Yankee site since the leak. Officials said it will take several months to clean the contaminated groundwater and soil.